Cost of Olympic medals in the USA and Russia

It would seem that Russia, which since the 1996 Olympic Games has been paying only official prize money many times more than in the United States, should have long ago become a leader in professional sports. But it doesn't work that way.

The US Olympic Committee has released prize payments for medals at the 2012 London Olympics.

Or rather, he confirmed that the “price” of medals will not change. Since 2002, an American athlete receives $25,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for a silver medal, and $10,000 for a bronze medal.

At the same time, in the USA there is no Russian practice when governors give apartments to Olympic athletes from the “lord’s shoulder”, but in fact at the expense of the state, i.e. folk remedies, and the regions have not yet poured out a bag of money to “local heroes”, most of whom were not born, and did not grow up, and do not live in these very regions.

Of course, business adds to its athletes and sometimes quite generously. For example, Speedo gave Michael Phelps $1 million for winning 8 gold medals in Beijing 2008. But top-class Russian athletes also receive a lot from sponsors.

By the way, Phelps donated his million to charity.

In Russia, the size of state remuneration in the 2000s went to cosmic heights.

For gold at London 2012, the athlete will receive 4 million rubles ($125,000), for silver - 2.5 million ($78,000), for bronze - 1.7 million rubles ($53,000).

But, as already said, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Real payments are much larger - apartments, expensive cars, scholarships, gifts, promotions, etc.

But it doesn't work that way. Let's compare the numbers.

In Beijing 2008, the USA received 110 medals, the Russian Federation 73 medals. In Vancouver 2010, the USA won 37 medals, Russia - 15 medals.

The official goal of the London 2012 Olympic team is 3rd overall team place.

As for the development of sports infrastructure in Russia, our country is probably at about the same place as on the Transparency International list of corrupt countries - far at the end of the list.

Maybe the money allocated for sports from the state budget is being spent incorrectly?

Top athletes should not be poor in the modern sports industry - they are not Chinese workers in sports factories who sew expensive Nike and Adik sneakers for pennies. Elite sports have long been a big and profitable business, and athletes should have their share of the profits in this business in proportion to their achievements.

And the state, mainly, should participate in the development of a sports infrastructure accessible to everyone, and not exclusively finance the maintenance of national teams, which are increasingly training outside of Russia. Which is very clear and explainable - there’s nowhere in Russia!

If I were now the coach of a world-class athlete, I would strive with all my might to train in Europe and the States. Or maybe in New Zealand, as the Russian cross-country skiing team has been doing for the last two years.

There are more radical examples of state funding of professional athletes than in the United States.

Swedish skier Bjorn Lind received... ZERO from the state and the Olympic Committee for his 2 gold medals at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin.

But this did not stop him from buying the same Porsche as Evgeniy Dementiev. Lind earned money by becoming the face of large Swedish companies.

At the same time, it is stupid to compare the development of sports as a social phenomenon in Sweden and in Russia. In Sweden, every village has a stadium, but in Russia?

But it’s not at all stupid to compare the medal achievements of the USA and Russia.

Let's compare on August 12

Although, if we take into account that the bronze Russian will receive 2 times more than the golden American, we can safely say that Russian athletes have already won their Games against the best sports power in the world.

Vasily Parnyakov, sports commentator

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